We all have things we want to accomplish, our goals and the dreams we hold deep in our heart. We want to be healthy, financially secure, and most importantly, we want our lives and the things we do to make a positive impact and make a difference. We desperately desire to do the best we can and to live our best life. It all sounds great and it seems like we should be able to do the things we want to do, but there’s one major culprit, and that is change. Change is hard, very hard.
The reality is, if you want to have something you don’t already have, something in your life must change to achieve the success you desire. This is where we run into trouble. Change requires growth and growth comes from a constant effort and work on oneself. We refer to this as personal development.
Research shows that investing in your own self-improvement is the best investment you can make. The return you will get is being successful in the goals and dreams you want to achieve. Most people won’t argue the truth in this, but for some reason investing time and money in our own development is difficult for the average person to do. There are always other things that seem more important to spend our money on. Things like fancy cars, clothes, expensive dinners, drive throughs, and even supporting our bad habits take precedence over our personal growth.
Regardless of how bad we want to achieve something, unless we constantly work on ourselves and make personal development a constant part of our daily lives, we will never attain the success we desire. There are things you can do to make self-improvement a constant in your life, and we will share them in this article.
“How to make personal development a constant in your life!”
Set aside a certain amount of money only for self-improvement –
Do your research on the most successful people in the world and you will find they invest a minimum of 10% -15% of their income back into their own personal development. If you don’t believe in yourself, how will you ever achieve the goals and dreams you desire. Plus, having some skin in the game is a great motivator to keep you on track. Research shows that for every dollar you invest in yourself, you will get a five dollar return. There is nothing else that will give you as much of a return on your investment. Do not be afraid to invest in YOU!
Have a calendar that you live by –
Every part of your day should be scheduled and allotted a certain amount of time for things you need to do and things you want to do. Block off the times you will spend working on yourself just like if it were an important meeting. Put your workouts, your meetings, down time, and any appointments you have in your calendar. Your calendar is a great accountability tool. It helps you remember to do the things you said you were going to do. Learn to live by your calendar and it will make it much easier to be constant in your personal development.
Create a reward system –
Who doesn’t love a reward? We all love to be rewarded for things done well. Treat yourself to a night off, a nice dinner, or a trip to the spa when you’ve accomplished all the things you wanted to achieve. It’s super motivating and encouraging to get something in return for your hard work. A reward system is a great way to stay on track.
Rebound quickly –
Disappointment is not disaster. Recognize that you are going to make mistakes but don’t let them cause you to throw in the towel completely. When you mess up, forgive yourself, let it go, and move on. It will be virtually impossible to make your self-improvement a constant in your life unless you learn to rebound quickly when things go wrong.
Make your health a priority –
If you don’t feel your best, you won’t feel like investing in yourself that’s for sure! There is nothing more important than your health. Without it, you can’t live your best life. When you make your health a priority, you will feel better about yourself, you will have more energy, and personal development will become more important to you.
Work with a coach –
There is a reason sports teams have a coach. The coach can arguably be the most important role of a winning team. What makes a good coach? A good coach is someone who has accomplished what you want to achieve or they are an expert in the field you need some help in. A coach provides you with accountability, support, encouragement, and information that can help you be your best self. A coach is a necessity for constant personal development and success.
If you are going to achieve your goals and dreams, constant self-improvement is a must!
Article written by:
Kim Martin, Founder of I’ve Decided INC.
